Four-Bar Chain Robot Arms for Lightweight High-Speed Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robots, especially articulated robots, face challenges in achieving a lightweight yet rigid structure while maintaining high movement speeds and large working spaces, often requiring high power output and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a mechanical serial kinematic chain with four-bar chains for the swivel and support arms, driven indirectly via these chains, with drive units located on the base, using rod- and/or plate-shaped elements to create a compact and rigid structure, allowing for a lightweight and scalable robot with reduced power requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional articulated robots use direct drive motors for arm elements, then the structure is simple and reliable, but the weight increases and movement speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces four-bar linkage chains as intermediary mechanical elements between the drive motors and the arm elements. These linkages transmit motion and force while allowing the use of lighter, lower-power motors, thereby reducing overall robot weight while maintaining or improving movement speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical drives with a mechanical field-based approach using four-bar linkages that create virtual constraints and guide motion, substituting heavy direct-drive mechanisms with lighter indirect drive systems that achieve the same kinematic functions.
2Power
If conventional robots use heavy drive components for high power output, then the power capability is sufficient, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the kinematic parameters by introducing four-bar linkage chains that modify the transmission ratios and force distribution throughout the robot's range of motion. This allows the use of lower-power, less expensive drive components while maintaining sufficient power capability through mechanical advantage provided by the linkage geometry.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional articulated robots prioritize rigidity, then the structural stability is high, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static rigidity to dynamic stability by using four-bar linkage chains that provide rigid motion guidance only when needed during active movement, while allowing the structure to be lighter and more flexible when not under load, achieving stability without excessive weight.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a robot with a socket (3); a pivot arm (4) which is hinged to the socket (3) and can be pivoted about a pivot axis (13), wherein a pivotal receiving area for a possible support arm (5) can be provided at the free end of the pivot arm (4); and at least one drive unit (6, 7) for driving the pivot arm (4) and the possible support arm (5). According to the invention, a first drive unit (6) is coupled to a first four-link chain (8), and a second four-link chain (9) is coupled to the first four-link chain (8) such that the pivot arm (4) can be pivoted by the first drive unit (6).